


What A Lovely View

by Asey_the_Ghost



Category: Natsume Yuujinchou | Natsume's Book of Friends, 不機嫌なモノノケ庵 | Fukigen na Mononokean | The Morose Mononokean
Genre: Chance Meetings, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Crossover, First Meetings, Gen, International Fanworks Day 2021, One Shot, Songfic, kind of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-15
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-13 02:20:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,219
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29270892
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Asey_the_Ghost/pseuds/Asey_the_Ghost
Summary: Sometimes the universe just decides you're not allowed to be lonely.AKA, Ashiya Hanae likes to make new friends.(Technically a songfic, uses the lyrics to the Japanese children's song "Toryanse")
Relationships: Ashiya Hanae & Fuzzy, Ashiya Hanae & Natsume Takashi
Comments: 3
Kudos: 14





	What A Lovely View

**Author's Note:**

> Happy International Fanworks Day, readers! I hope you like my contribution to the challenge! Natsume Yuujinchou is one of my favorite anime of all time and Fukigen na Mononokean is a great manga (only some of it is an anime right now). It’s kind of a songfic? I’ve never really written anything like that before.
> 
> Translations for a few common Japanese words I use are at the end if you need them!

Every week, once a week – though the day varied – a little owl perched on the end of a branch and sang to the forest one song. Most didn’t notice much difference on these days, apart from more frequent _wo-ho_ calls echoing across kilometers. To those who looked a little harder and listened a little closer, though, it was a night and day contrast. Things crawled out of the roots of the forest with mushroom heads, draping sleeves, too few and many legs. Things skittered cautiously into the forest with masks and horns and sweeping kimonos that never got dirty. Spirits, demons, ghosts. Yokai. Those who knew, knew. And sometimes they came as well.

_Toryanse, toryanse_

One Natsume Takashi sat under a leafless tree in only his black and white school clothes and shivered. The water droplets that hung in the air as a white sheet swirled around him whenever the boy shifted. He thought that perhaps if the sun was shining it could filter through the tangles of branches and the droplets would glitter prettily, but today was not particularly bright. Really, the sky was more whitish-grey than blue, and heavy. It wouldn’t be surprising at all if it rained.

_Koko wa doko no hosomichi ja?_

Even the pale, swooping wings that hung behind the owl girl drooped a little lower under the weight of the air. Yet her voice… it didn’t cut through so much as interweave but it was lighter nonetheless. The words were a welcome distraction from everything, especially if he closed his eyes and ignored who exactly it was coming from. Ignored who surrounded the area and the fact that he could see them in the first place. Nyanko-sensei wasn’t there – which was probably a good thing considering. The fat cat would’ve shattered the porcelain atmosphere in a heartbeat.

_Tenjin-sama no hosomichi ja_

_Chitto toshite kudashanse_

Takashi knew this song by heart, despite the fact that he had never played the game. He had listened when the other children ran around each other, sang it to himself when it was just a little too quiet and lonely. The tune rang out tinnily at crossing lights from town to town.

Was Tenjin the name of some yokai? Knowing his luck, if he was Takashi would run into him at somepoint or another. Would probably have to run from his wrath or something, be accosted for the Book of Friends or some other reason.

_Toryanse, toryanse_

_Koko wa doko no hosomichi ja_

_Tenjin-sama no hosomichi ja?_

The human boy twitched when the first drop of water fell onto his face and traced a trail down his cheek before he could wipe it away. Another fell, and another, increasing in frequency until he could truly say it was raining. The earth around him grew moist, lending the scent of petrichor to the mists that still swirled in the air, and the water slowly but surely soaked through him.

_Chitto toshite kudashanse_

“Oi, Fuzzy, don’t go wandering off! Come here.” Footsteps, quiet on soft soil, and an equally whispery voice so whoever it was didn’t disturb the performance. Takashi cracked his eyes open slowly to find a dark-haired teen traipsing through the underbrush with an umbrella. He seemed to be wearing a school uniform, different from Takashi’s own, with a yellow vest and red tie. Strangely, he was walking with his head tilted to one side, like he was following a sound, and…

There was a large, hairy white ball-ish yokai on his shoulder. At least, Takashi was pretty sure it wasn’t stuffed animal. Was he possessed?

“Ano…”

The boy started. “Ara, kon’nichiwa! I didn’t see you there, sorry.” The blonde was treated to a brilliant grin that faded into a vaguely worried look. Odd. “How long have you been sitting here, you’re all wet! Here.” Crouching, the stranger held the umbrella out over the other’s head, a few raindrops already coming to rest in his hair now that it wasn’t covering him. Admittedly, it took a couple of seconds of Takashi staring at the teen for him to figure out a response.

“No, you don’t have to do that,” he managed to insist, shaking his head while his brow creased. “You’ll get all wet too.”

“Well, then you can stand under it with me!” He shifted so the umbrella was in between them and held out a hand, all the while beaming once again. The fluffball thing maintained a solid grip on him through the whole movement of getting to their feet. Both huddled under the small circle of cover, though Takashi less so.

_Go-yo no nai mono toshasenu_

The unnamed boy’s expression eased into a softer smile as he settled back on his heels a tiny bit. “I kinda forgot to introduce myself didn’t I?” he laughed. “My name’s Ashiya Hanae, it’s nice to meet you.”

“… I’m Natsume. Nice to meet you too.”

“Just Natsume?”

He blinked. Right, this wasn’t a yokai that just cared about his connection to his grandmother. He didn’t meet humans so willing to talk to him all that often. “Natsume Takashi, sorry.”

“No, I should be sorry,” Ashiya brushed off sheepishly, a hand coming up to the back of his neck. “That was weird of me.”

_Kono ko no nanatsu no oiwai ni_

_Ofuda osame ni mairimasu_

“That’s such pretty singing, ne? Do you know where it’s coming from?”

“…” He could hear her?! Cautiously, Takashi turned and pointed in the opposite direction they were facing, towards the gathering of yokai around the tree the singing owl perched in. The adolescent turned with him. Maybe he couldn’t see them, maybe he was just sensitive like Tanuma.

“… oh, wow, that’s a lot of—” Ashiya cut himself off, slamming his hand over his mouth conspicuously and glancing at the boy next to him. Slit-pupiled eyes flitted, outwardly calm, between his face, the many yokai, and the white hairball on his shoulder. “You can see them too?!”

Takashi nodded stiffly, whole body a little tense.

“Sugoi!” The exclamation made him jump. “This is Fuzzy!” The three-tailed yokai bobbed a little and its large purple eyes curved up happily. He couldn’t help but give a small smile back. “This is great, the only other person I know who can see yokai is Abeno-san! And he’s so grumpy all the time,” he whined, but quickly returned to grinning. “Do you know anyone?”

“Ara… Tanuma-kun can sense them,” he offered carefully. “Natori-san sees yokai too.”

“You’ll have to introduce me sometime! And I’ll bring you to meet Abeno-san, ne?” Takashi didn’t think he could handle having Natori and Ashiya in the same place. Ashiya seemed like one of those people who would fanboy, never mind the personalities. And God forbid the boy get anywhere near Nishimura and Kitamoto.

“Hai.” Perhaps… it would be nice.

Ashiya simply nodded decisively, like that was that, and turned back to watch the owl girl. He copied him, feeling the corner of his mouth curve upwards, not fighting it.

_Iki wa yoi yoi, kaeri wa kowai_

_Ko—_

She faltered – another voice called, singing from far away the same song – and the yokai smiled, wings lifting slightly. Raised arms to the sky, sleeves fell, and two singers filled the woods with resounding music.

_Iki wa yoi yoi, kaeri wa kowai_

_Kowai nagara mo toryanse_

_Toryanse_

**Author's Note:**

> Translations:
> 
> Ano- uh, um
> 
> Ara- ah, eh
> 
> Kon’nichiwa- hello
> 
> Ne- many different uses in the Japanese language, but in this case used as a sort of confirmation at the end of a questions, like asking “right?” or “okay?”
> 
> Sugoi- awesome or awful depending on the context, used as awesome in this case (like ne, it's used for a lot of different things)
> 
> -san and -kun are both honorifics attached to the ends of names. -kun is more informal than -san and is often used between males of the same age/rank. -san is the most common honorific, especially for everyday use.
> 
> Please note that I do not speak Japanese and am no expert, I’ve just picked things up from watching anime and random research. Feel free to correct me!
> 
> I didn’t translate the song because there’s at least half a dozen slightly varying translations and I didn’t want to try to sort through all of them for the most accurate/common one. It’s easy to look up if you want, “Toryanse” is a common children’s song. It has such a haunting melody too, I think it’s lovely.
> 
> Anyways, I really hope you liked it!


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